Old Shankill Graveyard: A Heritage at Risk EHOD 2026

Step beyond the headlines and discover one of Belfast's oldest and most overlooked historic landscapes on this unique walking heritage tour of the Old Shankill Graveyard. With no official written history of the graveyard itself, this carefully curated experience by local historian Francis Higgins brings centuries of forgotten stories back to life.

Believed to be one of the oldest graveyards in Northern Ireland — if not Ireland — the Old Shankill Graveyard is far more than a burial ground. It is a hidden archive of Belfast's past, filled with the stories of ordinary people, rebels, merchants, heroes, victims and visionaries who helped shape the city we know today. The Old Shankill Graveyard was turned into a 'garden of rest' in the 1950s, and many of the original gravestones were lost. While some modern "dark" tours offer alternative interpretations, this experience restores the authentic heritage of the site.

Reflecting the theme of Heritage at Risk, the tour highlights how vulnerable historic places and their stories can be, and the importance of preserving and sharing them with accuracy and care for future generations.

For over 25 years, Francis Higgins has delivered specialised heritage lectures and guided tours exploring the rich social history of the Shankill district and its people. With deep personal connections to the graveyard itself, where members of his own family rest, Francis offers a rare insight that combines academic knowledge with personal memory and local tradition.

The tour begins outside St Matthew's Church on the Ballygomartin Road, beside the ancient Bullaun Stone — a mysterious relic discovered within the graveyard and relocated to the church grounds in 1911. Rich in folklore, memory and hidden history, this is not simply a graveyard tour — it is a journey into the origins of Belfast itself.

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